Thursday 28 February 2019

OUR ALLOTMENT - Life on the Weald February 2019 - Part 2

OUR ALLOTMENT - Life on the Weald February 2019 - Part 2



There was a sudden change in the weather mid-February with sunshine and record temperatures across the UK.  In Hove the daytime temperature in the middle of February was as high as 15C and this spring-like weather has brought a flurry of activity on the allotment....and a sure sign that Spring is on the way, my Hellebores at home are in flower.


Helleborus niger

I had managed to clear half of the area needed for my first early potatoes earlier in the month and fortunately Luke was on hand to help me finish the job. A giant cardoon, over 2.5 metres tall and 2 metres wide, which was engulfed in bindweed had been moved from this area, leaving a large hole about half a metre deep.  When we dug the area around where the cardoon had been, we managed to fill the wheelbarrow twice over with bindweed roots some of which were 6mm thick.  No doubt we left some behind so we will need to be extra-vigilant and ready to tackle the weeds as they show through.

19 February - potato patch cleared
From time to time we are reminded why we subject ourselves to all of this when we reap the rewards. Purple sprouting broccoli is one of my favourite vegetables and we are having a wonderful harvest.
19 February - freshly picked broccoli
The Cavolo Nero has finally finished and going to seed and we have salvaged the last few leaves, pulled up the plants and given the ground a preliminary dig in preparation for planting the second early potatoes.

The spring like weather has also encouraged me to sow some early peas indoors. There are several early varieties that can be sown in January or February but I haven't had much success with these in the past.  Kelvedon Wonder has always been a heavy cropper and, although the recommendation is to sow indoors in March, I have taken a risk and sown some this month.  The added joy is that they germinate quickly and I had seedlings showing within a week.   
20 February - Peas
When they were about 5cms high I put them outside during the day to harden off, covering them with a cloche at night.

I have also sown my first leeks and it was so satisfying to see them sprouting within a few days.


22 February - Musselburgh Leeks
The worms in our wormeries were very well fed over the Christmas and New Year period and they have produced some rich compost, which I have spread over the remaining empty raised beds.

22 February - worm compost
The couch grass and perennial weeds which we dug up in the autumn, with great clods of heavy earth adhering, has been sitting in a great heap over the winter.  With a fine sieve, Sylvi has been busy riddling, recovering as much soil as possible, leaving the roots and any remaining vegetation to go to the dump - ie civic amenity site - where it can be properly composted.

The remaining fine soil has been added to the raised beds mixed with some well rotted compost.  

Parsnips are notoriously difficult to germinate but I have had modest success in past years. I had some seed tapes left over from last year so have taken a chance by sowing them in one of the raised beds.  Nothing venture, nothing gain!  I have also sown a couple of rows of Boltardy beetroots, having just lifted the final remaining ones from last year.


22 February - Parsnips sown
I raked the area which we had prepared for the first crop of potatoes and then made four shallow trenches about 6 inches deep in which I put a layer of peat-free potting compost.


22 February - trenches prepared for potatoes
I started the chitting process at home for the second earlies - Charlotte  and Nicola.....
22 February -Charlotte potatoes - chitting
and inspected the Duke of York first earlies which looked almost ready for planting.

22 February - Duke of York first earlies

I hope we have not been deceived by this false-spring but decided to plant them on Sunday 24th February, under blue skies and warm sunshine with the temperature approaching 20C!  The recommended distance between rows is 28 inches  (71 cms) and for the potatoes to be 12 inches (30 cms) apart.  I usually plant them a little closer - my rows are 2 feet apart (61 cms) and I planted the potatoes 10 inches (25 cms) apart.

I planted the potatoes in the trenches at a depth of 6 inches (15cms), covered them with peat-free potting compost and then raked over the surrounding earth to form low ridges.


I then gave them a light watering and a top dressing of an organic potato fertiliser.  As the shoots sow through I will regularly rake over surrounding soil, increasing the height of the ridges and keeping them covered until the risk of frost is reduced.

With the continuing warm weather, I have planted out the first batch of peas.


Kelvedon Wonder Peas - 1st planting

On the last day of the month, temperatures began to fall - but they're still higher than average for the time of year - and rain is predicted for the next few days.

But just to keep me cheered I'm tidying up the planters and pots at home - end enjoying the beauty of the Hellebores

Hellebores in Hove 

John Austin

Hove, February 2019


Friday 15 February 2019

OUR ALLOTMENT - Life on the Weald February 2019

OUR ALLOTMENT - Life on the Weald Early February 2019

February started with a mixture of sub-zero temperatures and torrential rain so there was little prospect of early progress outdoors so we concentrated on what we could do indoors.

I started chitting some First Early potatoes - Duke of York - in a cold room indoors


Duke of York First Earlies - 3 February
In January, I had sown some broad beans in covered trays outdoors but they became waterlogged and then froze solid without any chance of germinating or recovery.


Demise of the broad beans
 It was comparatively warm in the conservatory as the ripening Habaneros show

Chill peppers - Habaneros
I thought I would make up for lost time and sow some Aquadulce broad beans indoors.
I used seeds that we had saved from last year's crop and, having discarded any that were damaged or attacked by pests, most seem to have germinated.




Between showers we managed to get up to the plot to feed the worms and drain the blueberries, whose pots had become waterlogged, and review progress.

We picked some cavolo nero but it is beginning to go to seed so our supply is coming to an end.  But the good news is that the Early Purple Sprouting Broccoli is sprouting! 

Purple sprouting broccoli - 9 February
 And we have a plentiful supply of leeks which, thankfully, are disease free and have not succumbed to the virus which seems to have infected several other sites in Brighton and Hove.

Leeks - 9 February
I had put the seed trays with the broad beans in the coldest room in the loft with an overhead window.  The result was that the beans grew very tall and straight - or a bit leggy!
I hardened them off outside in anticipation of a warm day for planting out.


Broad beans hardening off 12 February
Fortunately, the weather changed for the better on 12 February and it was almost spring-like. The following day was also dry and sunny, so we took the opportunity of planting them out .
Broad beans 13 February
With more than a little help from Sylvi, we cleared the area around the blueberries and began to clear a patch for planting the First Early Potatoes.


Getting prepared for first potatoes
We had begun to pick purple sprouting broccoli earlier in the month and I am very thankful that I remembered to net the plants to keep off the pigeons.  A week or so after our first picking, more strong healthy sprouts had grown which will provide us with a good haul for the weekend.


Purple sprouting broccoli, netted - 13 February
The onions, garlic and shallots are looking good - especially the shallots


Shallots - 13 February
We have also been busy weeding around the blackcurrant bushes but some were so choked with couch grass that I actually lifted them, cleared the couch grass and replanted them with a dressing of blood, fish and bone and pruned them.

Blackcurrants fruit on newer wood so it is OK to cut back some of the branches fairly hard to encourage new growth and new shoots. It is advisable to cut down about a quarter of the old stems to just above the soil and remove any weak or diseased stems and any that cross over the centre of the bush. Redcurrants, on the other hand fruit on the older wood so need to be pruned differently.  Obviously it is advisable to remove any dead, diseased or damaged stems to keep an open bush. Redcurrant bushes can grow very large so to keep them at a manageable size I removed about 10cms from the growing stems and cut out some of the older ones to keep an open bush.  I have acquired a small fruit cage (having lost the entire crop to the birds last year) and it is just over 1m high so this determined how far back I needed to prune the branches.  Similar pruning is needed for gooseberries - remove the 3-Ds - damaged, diseased or dead branches; cut out cross branches and then lightly prune the remaining ones. It is advisable to wear gloves when pruning gooseberries!

I am also busy indoors this month. Outdoor cucumbers would normally be sown outdoors in May but some varieties can be sown indoors in February or March and planted out in May producing early fruits in July.  I'm trying Mr Fothergill's Marketmore this year but am also sowing some Spanish Pepino Marketer seeds for a later crop.  Leeks can also be sown indoors in February for planting out in May or June.  I'm sowing some Musselburgh which is a tried and tested, reliable variety.   I am also starting off some early peas indoors and some Habanero chilli peppers from seeds harvested from last year's crop.

Once we have cleared and prepared enough space for the potatoes the next task will be to dismantle the frames which were used for growing runner beans and cucumbers last year and clear that space for the brassicas.  The runner bean frames need some tlc and I need to dig a couple of trenches where the beans will be planted and fill them with kitchen waste and old newspapers - this will help provide nutrients but also help with water retention which is particularly important if you don't want tough, stringy beans.  I recall that in the 70s we buried an old flock mattress under the beans on the Cherry Orchard allotment in Charlton. I haven't seen a flock mattress in years, soit will just be newspapers and kitchen waste this year.

I don't have any pictures of the Charlton beans but I have found a photo of one of the cabbages.


Charlton cabbage 1970s
To avoid any confusion, the cabbage is in the foreground, the others are two of my children!

Absolutely nothing to do with the allotment but we had a night out for St Valentine's for the Labour Party down at Fat Boy Slim's Big Beach Cafe where I drank a toast to the Queen in Chocolate


The Queen was in chocolate - my drink was a little more alcoholic. There's always a raffle at a Labour Party social and we were able to offload some of our jam and marmalade as prizes - and we won someone else's picalilli!

It has been a busy couple of weeks so I'll close this blog and start a fresh one for the second half of the month.


John Austin

Hove 15 February 2019



Monday 11 February 2019

OUR ALLOTMENT - Life on the Weald January 2019

OUR ALLOTMENT - Life on the Weald January 2019

The weather in January has not been helpful!  Apart from heavy rain, we also experienced one of the coldest spells on record.

We have ventured to the plot a few times - mostly to feed the worms and pick some cavolo nero and kale which is still producing.  The cavolo nero is about to flower, so we are on our last pickings but it has been a useful and very productive crop - cut and come again!

We have also been lifting leeks as and when we need them and they should last us well into February.

There is a large hole to be filled where we removed the Cardoon and then we need to clear that area for the potatoes.

The Cardoon is no more!

 I have continued the crop rotation plan and will be planting potatoes where the brassicas were last year; courgettes, cucumbers and beans where the potatoes were; and leeks and brassicas where the beans and courgettes were.



Some of the raised beds have already been planted with broad beans, onions, shallots and garlic and the others will be used for more broad beans, peas and beetroot.

The worms had been very active over Christmas and New Year and have produced some wonderful nitrogen rich compost which we have begun to add to the empty raised beds.

Contents of wormery spread on raised bed
We will leave the worms to continue their good work ready for planting out from March onwards.

Towards the end of last year we added a layer of bark and tree prunings where the rhubarb is and by early January it was showing through.  I will add another mulch of well rotted compost.

Despite the adverse weather, there are other signs of life - the onions are doing well but the weeds are also beginning to grow, so some hand-weeding will be needed next month.


Onions - 9 January
 The broad beans sown in November are looking healthy and I just need to sow a few more to fill the odd gap and prepare a bed to sow some more.


Broad beans - January

John Austin

Hove, January 2019

Tuesday 5 February 2019

OUR ALLOTMENT - Life on the Weald December 2018

OUR ALLOTMENT - Life on the Weald December 2018

As expected, little time was spent on the allotment in December.  A combination of pre-Christmas activity and very wet weather conspired to keep us away.

We did make a few visits, however, to harvest the results of our labours and to feed the worms.  We have three wormeries on the go and feed them most of our kitchen waste.  I expect we will have lots of worm compost to add to the raised beds in January.

Most crops have not fared so well this year because of the mixture of summer drought and heavy rains at other times, but we have a plentiful supply of green crops for the winter - kale, chard and spinach and the purple sprouting broccoli should be sprouting soon.

The Broad Beans planted in October/November are just showing through and I will think about covering them with a layer of straw or fleece if a cold snap is predicted.


Broad beans (Aquadulce) 2 December
We have also been lifting leeks as and when we need them.  We are fortunate that we have not seen an infestation of alium worm which appears to be prevalent on other allotments in the Brighton and Hove area.

Leeks 2 December with purple kale in foreground


The onion sets, garlic and shallots planted last month are looking good and I must ensure we keep them as weed-free as possible this year


Onions 15 December

Shallots 11 December 

We managed to harvest some sprouts for Christmas Day.......



.... and also some new potatoes which we had grown in tubs, planted in the summer






New potatoes on Christmas Day


In addition to the sprouts, which we cooked with smoked bacon and chestnuts, we served a mixture of steamed greens, all from the allotment; chard, cavolo nero, purple kale, Brussels tops and leaves from the purple sprouting broccoli.  We had bought a cauliflower, a Swede (or as my northern wife calls it, turnip) and some King Edwards for the roast potatoes - yes Jamie Oliver, King Edwards and not Maris Piper - sorry we have to disagree on this one - save your Maris for the mash!  And we had lifted our own parsnips - not as large as last year but beautifully sweet, as well as leeks and some carrots we had also grown in a tub.  So not counting the spuds, I think we had eleven vegetables for Christmas dinner.

It might be a while before we get back to the plot but we have started planning our crop rotation - just trying to remember what was where in 2018:





Happy New Year and good gardening.


John Austin

Hove , December 2019